


Wendytales

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-22
Updated: 2004-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 06:25:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1636337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wendy listens to the wind in the autumn, and though Jane is young she is still curious enough to question.  A story evolves as Wendy slips into her memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wendytales

**Author's Note:**

> Written for smithereen

 

 

In the autumn, when the evenings became dim, and streetlights were once again lit before the hour of seven, Wendy would sit in her nursery with the window wide and listen to the sound of the wind.

Jane would peer curiously at the woman, and wrinkle her button nose. Even at four she was aware that other mothers did not do this - though she dare not ask why Wendy had this peculiar past time. Until one day she did.

"Mother," came the child's voice, soft and unassuming.

"Yes, child," the reply as Wendy, turned her attention from the darning on her lap.

"I do not understand," and Jane could barely finish her sentence before Wendy smiled at the young girl and knew exactly what she meant.

If you look carefully you could see a furrow form on the brow of a woman, Wendy had to accept the time had come to tell her daughter about the boy she loved.

Wendy moved the darning aside, placing it on the other half of the window seat and stood. She brushed herself down and started to walk towards the bed of the young girl who was sat upright staring at her most curious mother.

Now, Wendy sighed, and sat down on the rocking chair they keep in the corner.

"Once, when I was a girl, I met a boy," she began and Jane's attention was immediately focussed; she'd heard rumour from Uncle Michael about a boy they met in their youth. "This boy was called Peter. He wore the skeletons of leaves that would rustle as the wind blew."

`O Peter, where are you, silly boy,' Wendy's eyes said. Jane, however, did not notice this.

The woman fought the young girl inside her who was itching to get out and leave for Neverland again, although she knew she could no longer go up. She was grown-up and had forgot how to fly.

All she could do was pass on the memories to the child next to her.

Jane was silent and respectful of her mother's story and barely breathed, for fear of a stray breath interrupting the story. She listened to it unfold and expand with wisps of fairies and pirates and mermaids and the Lost Boys - who she was most amused to know were also her Uncles.

Yet it was Wendy's tale of Hook, the captain whom bared a slight resemblance in appearance to Grandfather Darling that Jane's eyes revealed the most interest in and so Wendy told more of him.

"He was a most wicked man, most wicked indeed. Peter was always fighting with him. Once he even kept me prisoner on a pirate ship. Can you imagine that dear? Your own mother, captive and hostage because of the very boy she was supposed to be mother of..."

Just then Wendy lost herself to the memories of her past and the air became warm around her as she was once again in Neverland, and once again in Hook's chamber. Once again staring insolently at the captain.

Hook sneered, and leaned down into Wendy's face, "Darling girl, are you not hungry?"

"Not for any of your food."

"Oh, but it is not poisoned."

"It may as well be."

"Careful girl," and Hook picked up Wendy's chin with two fingers from his one good hand. "You wouldn't want to make me angry."

"Captain Hook, you do not scare me one bit. We have done this too many times, soon Peter will be here and he will save me."

Wendy was speaking the truth as well - Hook often caught Wendy with some new `clever' rouse and Peter always came to save her.

Peter liked saving Wendy. He liked beating Hook so he thought this jolly good fun. Indeed it was for all except Hook.

A "Hmm," noise came from Captain Hook as he dropped Wendy's face and stalked to the other side of the cabin. "I wouldn't be so sure all of the time."

"Nonesense. He will come."

"And then I will catch him, dear girl."

He waved his hooked hand to the wall on Wendy's left and there she saw a net ready to catch her boy. Hook was an abominable man but she did not doubt for one second that Peter would be anything less than safe. He was reckless and Wendy wished he'd have more regard for safety but Peter was brave and always knew how to get out of a trap with Hook.

Suddenly Peter was outside.

"Hook! Hook! Hook! Hook!" Peter crowed from the other side of the window, flitting across it just too far away for Hook to reach out and grab him.

"Pan!" Hook screamed.

"Hook!" Peter countered.

"Is that the only word you know boy?"

"No, I also know the word Crocodile."

You could hear Peter laugh to himself as he swooped and soared, mocking the old captain. Wendy thought it quite unnecessary.

Hook scowled and flung the window even wider. "Pah." Though it was possible to see fear had raced across his eyes.

Sword drawn, Hook aimed at the opening.

Peter mocked. "Come on, old man, I am not scared of you. I could beat you any day."

Wendy wondered how it was always the same. Nothing ever changed.

Peter laughed. "Are you to fight today?"

"If you would play fair boy, I will."

"Fine," and Peter came to the window, and stopped. He was not even an entire foot from the ship and well within the reach of the weapon.

Hook saw his opportunity and dove forwards - plunging the sword at Peter.

But not into him; for Peter was a cunning boy who moved out of the way at the last second. Hook stumbled, and lost his balance.

The sword was heavy in the open like that and Hook's foot had started to slip from under him as he lunged towards the young boy.

Scrabbling for his sword Hook fell over to the window. He was leaning half out of the window in an effort to catch his precious weapon. He was not quick enough though.

The sword fell into the water below. It made a splash that seemed a tad excessive.

The black haired man was still looking down into the water when he growled. Peter took use of the opportunity to enter the room and make his attack.

Peter stole the net from the wall and flung it over Hook, running around him with the rope ends and tying him well and truly up.

"So long," Peter saluted.

Within seconds Peter had untied Wendy from her chair and grabbed her hand. They ran to the open window and flung themselves out - dipping and then rising in flight.

Hook roared in anger and cursed the boy who dressed in leaves and the girl who was his mother.

"Smee!"

Smee raced in, to Hook's shouts, and set about releasing his flailing captain from his own trap with some difficulty.

Wendy and Peter hovered for barely a minute. They watched and laughed, Peter smiled at Wendy and clutched her hand tightly. "Home! We must fly home. O Wendy, how we've missed you."

"Peter, it's not even been a day."

"Yes, but still, come Wendy."

They flew away across the rainbow. Hand in hand. It took them a whole ten minutes to arrive back at their home.

Wendy was greeted by hugs and smiles and everything lovely in the Lost Boy's hearts. She was also greeted by a rather large mess.

"O Peter, O Lost Boys, O John, O Michael, O all of you - what a mess you've made and I have only been gone hours. Honestly, you really _do_ need a mother such as me."

She tut-tutted but immediately began sorting out the awful state they'd made of the Hide Out, including Slightly's pile of orange peel that he was hoping would magically turn into marmalade for their toast.

Somewhere far off Wendy heard a young laugh and turned to find the culprit. She soon realised that she was all alone, and could not fathom where the laugh came from at all.

It had been Jane in the present giggling in delight and Wendy was startled back into the now and paused in her prose. She hid the resentment well.

"Mother? Did the Crocodile not attack the mermaids?" Jane's mind was young, carefree and innocent and prone to skip from here to there.

"No Jane love, _they_ lived in the Lagoon."

"Oh, right then. So when did you see them?" Wide eyes and lips bitten to repress a yawn.

Wendy laughed. "We met the mermaids the next day. Awful creatures they are too."

But as all good things must come to an end, so must Wendy's story - although this end was rather surprising and unexpected.

The clock sounded the hour of ten. It always did have a way of surprising one with its time.

When Wendy stopped in alarm at the realisation of the hour, Jane immediately placed down her head on the pillow and hardly had it had time to sink down, than she was asleep and dreaming of when Peter would come for her.

 


End file.
